A man who volunteered to give a friend a ride Wednesday night told police he was assaulted by three masked men who stole his car and kidnapped his friend. Police were called to Lombard and Front streets around 10:23 p.m., where they met Tesfa McCaw, 32, of Bridgeport, according to a release from New Haven police. He told them that he was taking his friend, Monaisa Francis, 21, from her home in the Fair Haven neighborhood to pick up her son. As they were driving, she told him to pull over so she could make a phone call, he said.

By SAMAIA HERNANDEZ, smhernandez@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, May 15, 2012

A 20-year-old man was found shot to death on Elm Street midday Tuesday, police said. Police said the victim, Tyrell Trimble, of 312 Davenport Ave. in New Haven, may have been targeted. He was pronounced dead at the Hospital of St. Raphael. Police said the shooting happened in the area of Elm and Kensington streets around 12:57 p.m., and that a tan Chevy Astro van was seen leaving Orchard Street near Elm Street after the shooting. The van was later found abandoned nearby on Vine Street.

By CHRISTOPHER KEATING, ckeating@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, September 10, 2013

NEW HAVEN - State Sen. Toni Harp won the Democratic primary Tuesday night, taking the first step toward making history in her quest to become the city's first female mayor. Harp defeated three opponents in a battle that will continue with just one in the general election in November. The clash over the next two months pits Harp against the second-place finisher, City Alderman Justin Elicker, who qualified to run as an independent in November. Early and unofficial returns showed Harp in the lead with about 50 percent of the vote, followed by Elicker with about 23 percent.

By DAVID OWENS, dowens@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, December 24, 2012

Three people were shot in separate incidents on Sunday. The first shooting occurred just after midnight. Police received several 911 calls and responded to the area of 730 George St., where they found Demetrius Pernell, 39, of West Haven. He told officers he'd been confronted by a group of men who tried to rob him, then shot him. He suffered a wound to the thigh. The second was reported at 7:40 p.m. in the area of 87 Ivy St. Police found a man named Martin Lopez, asked him if he heard a gunshot, and he responded, "Yeah, I heard it — and felt it, my leg is burning.

New Haven in the 1950s was a national laboratory for urban renewal. Mayor Richard C. Lee, "Mr. Urban America," and a lot of bright people set about demolishing and rebuilding for a better tomorrow. The results were, at best, mixed. A few projects — e.g. the Long Wharf — may have helped, but the much-touted program did not renew New Haven. The city was struggling when I ran The Courant's New Haven news bureau in the mid-1970s, and by the late 1980s it was worse. Because the early urban renewal effort mostly failed (as it did in most cities)

Where do you do most of your shopping? Fashionista Vintage and Variety. It's the best place to buy clothes in the city. What about shopping for burlesque clothes? I make a lot of my costumes, and the ones I don't make I buy from places like Fashionista, Etsy and occasionally Ebay. What kind of costumes? My costumes run the gamut of a baroque opera singer to a cliche 1970s disco dude. There's no one favorite, they all have different flavors that I love. How long have you lived in New Haven?

BY HILDA MUÑOZ, hmunoz@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, January 29, 2013

A New Haven police officer was arrested Tuesday morning in connection with a domestic assault. Officer Juan Monzon, a 14-year veteran, turned himself in at New Haven police headquarters. He is charged with risk of injury, third-degree assault and first-degree threatening. His bail was set at $10,000. Monzon is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in New Haven on Wednesday. Monzon is on administrative duty. He has turned over his service weapon, police said. A woman filed a complaint against Monzon with the Internal Affairs office on Friday, police said.